I own an Acer Aspire One, came with 512 MB of RAM and the 8 GB SSD. I have since upgraded it to 1.5 GB and 60 GB HDD. It makes a GREAT laptop for taking notes in class, typing up notes (from hand written notes), browsing the net (run Firefox in full screen mode) and even light LIGHT gaming (I personally play Quakeworld and some NetHack on it). I am running Ubuntu 8.10 and have run other OSes in the past. Some of those netbooks are able to run OS X with some software tweaks, but don't ask me on details as I have no interest on running that on an Atom.
The keyboard WILL get some getting used to. I would personally recommend an EeePC 1000HE. They claim 9.5 hours of battery life and 92% the size of a full keyboard. Feel free to ask questions if you have any.
Edit: It's small enough that I can carry it to class without even feeling the weight of it in my bookbag. I can also carry it with a notebook or something if I don't feel like bringing a bag.